The Next Generation
by cyanthetriangle
Summary: She touched her lips, which where now covered in salty tears. She whispered, a bird's soft murmur came out. She closed her eyes, trying to capture what it was like being kissed by the soft lips. She couldn't bring back anything.
1. Chapter 1

She felt wet lips against her own, tasting like an ocean's current, fierce and determined. She was about to step back, and open her eyes. Apparently he did it first. All she could catch a glimpse of was strikingly moss-green eyes matching with ebony hair before he shriveled up like a piece of paper in a fire. She cried out to him in fear, though the sound came out like a bird's call. She screamed and screamed as the boy- now only his cheek left, untouched by the transparent fire- was scorched and taken away from invisible fire. There was no way she could stop it, like every other dream. She would always go to sleep, finding herself kissing the boy, and then he would shrivel up. Then she would wake up. The girl kept screaming for him to come back, to come back and tell her what was happening. She touched her lips, which where now covered in salty tears. She whispered, a bird's soft murmur came out. She closed her eyes, trying to capture what it was like being kissed by the soft lips. She couldn't bring back anything.

~:~

"Alice! Alice!" A boy stood by the girl's bed, shaking her gently. He looked panicked, like he saw someone's death layered before him. "Alice!"

"Cinna, what is it?" A strong looking woman looking a lot like Alice, marched in. Her fatigue was slightly small, but her gray eyes pierced like stone. She gasped as she looked at Alice on the bed. "Peeta!" she called, before she began to search for her husband.

"Katniss?" a man's voice called out. He later appeared tightly gripping the woman's hand, who was Katniss. His burly build made him stand an inch taller than Katniss. He looked like he could really hurt somebody with such calloused hands. His face looked like an exact copy of the boy's, except he had strikingly beautiful blue eyes. He ran toward the girl's bed-side. He clawed for her hand, holding it roughly. He shook Alice. His face started to brim with shallow tears."Alice..."

"Dad, stop!" the boy said. The man was now shaking the girl, screaming at her. The woman stood in the back, her face covered by one hand. Cinna shook his head, and walked over to his mother, "Is Alice really gone?"

Katniss just fell to her knees. She had nightmares, nightmares of her two children dying in oblivious states. She couldn't say anything, except the usually mutter of "Alice."

Cinna looked at his sister and sighed. It wasn't a sigh of regret. Or boredom. A simple sigh of feeling lost. He looked at his sister again, and prayed. He prayed that whatever was wrong with Alice would be lifted off her like a clump of hair in one's face.

A gasp arose from the murmurs. Alice opened her blue eyes. She looked around at the family gathered around. She lingered on her father, who was still shaking her. She glared softly at her brother, who's head whipped up to look at her. She cast a glance at her shaking mother. She frowned at her mother. Peeta stopped shaking his daughter. He stared at her, his mouth mid-talk. He swooped her fragile looking frame in his hands and held her tightly. Alice's eyes stayed on her mother. Katniss lifted her gaze. She started to crawl toward Alice, slowly, like every movement hurt. Cinna came over to Alice and smiled before hugging her tightly, conjoining with his father. Alice pushed away from her brother and father softly and ran over to her mother. Her mother, Katniss, looked up at her and smiled. Alice tackled her mother with a hug. Katniss almost lost her step when she felt her daughter's cold hands hug her neck. Alice let go, afraid of hurting her mother. She looked at her father and brother. Smiling, she motioned them to come and hug her. They did pleasantly, the family embraced in a tight hug.

~:~

"So, Alice?" Cinna asked.

"Yes, brother?" Alice replied. She stared at her brother lovingly, waiting for him to speak.

"What happened exactly?" he said. He held the gaze between the two siblings, blue meeting gray. "I mean, what happened _before _you woke up? What were you dreaming about?"

Alice hesitated. She never told her mother or father, much less her brother; and she shared everything with her brother. She was the few people she actually talked to. She didn't talk much, at school her voice was rarely heard. At home, her thoughts were kept to herself.

"Never-mind, actually. You don't have to answer, Alice," Cinna said, noticing her discomfort with the question. Alice wanted to answer him, tell him she was dreaming of boy who gave her mysterious kisses, but something held her back. Maybe it was the fact that he would tell Mother and Father. She just stared at his eyes, gray and full of honesty. He could never lie, and when he did, it was horrible. He couldn't keep a secret, because he would always accidentally spill it. His eyes stared back at her. He looked so much older than fifteen. Alice, herself was two years older, and she looked even younger than him. She looked like she was thirteen, or fourteen. Her small fatigue made her close in height to her brother. Cinna was also very strong, which gave him an advantage in height. Alice had seen him with his shirt off, she shared a room with him. Alice remembered when he took his shirt off and saw her watching. He smiled and then they burst out in laughing. He began to march around the house- Mother and Father were out- and acting like a soldier. It was a year ago, in the cold months. She smiled thinking about it.

_SWING! _Alice's and Cinna's eyes flitted to the door, where their father swung open the door. He was carrying a thick loaf of bread and... Alice's eyes light up, running to great her father. She kissed him on the cheek, soon followed by Cinna, and watched her father uncover what was in the brown bag.

"What did you get Father?" Cinna asked, his gray eyes glinting. Strands of dark brown hair escaped from the ponytail he put up an hour ago.

Father winked at Alice and simply answered, "A surprise." Alice knew what it was. A cinnamon role from the bakery. Probably drizzled with rich raspberry sauce. And touched with cinnamon, not only inside, but out. Cinna, looking disappointed, disappeared in another room. That's when Mother came and kissed Father politely. The kiss lingered for a second then drowned in the air. They looked back at Alice and smiled. "Alice, go and get your brother."Alice nodded walked out of the room, following her brother's footsteps.

"Cinna?" she asked as she neared the corner. She brushed past it and saw her brother sitting on the floor, mindlessly flipping through channels on the television.

"Oh, hey!" Cinna exclaimed, shock running through his voice. Alice giggled and gripped her brother's hand, pulling him near into the kitchen. Peeta was sitting at the oak table, playing around with his and Mother's fingers. They looked up when they saw the two.

"Hello, have a seat," Mother said, gesturing with her free hand at the empty chairs. Alice and Cinna sat down obediently. "We have something to talk you about. We"- Mother shared a glance with Father- "think you're old enough to know something about us. Involving out past."

"Katniss and I think... Well..." Father cleared his voice, he was obviously under pressure. Alice smiled, but before her parents could see, she covered up her mouth. As she did, it reminded her strongly of the dream. _No, don't think about that now, _she thought to herself. "Well... Your maturity level has increased... I mean... Uh..."

"What Peeta's trying to say," Mother saved Father. "Is that-"

"You're pregnant?" Alice couldn't stop herself from bursting it out loud. It fit in the situation. Parents never liked telling their children that they had sex.

Mother threw her head back in laughter. Father looked at her in confusion, "You aren't, right?"

The question made Mother laugh even more, soon Cinna started laughing too. The sight made Alice start to laugh. Father stood there, his face as red as the raspberry sauce on cinnamon roll. Father made a noise in the back of his throat, trying to shock everybody to the real world. But after from a few tries, he started to chuckle. Still entangled with Mother's arm, he carefully rose his arm out of his wife's. Burying his face in his own hands. He chuckled deeply.

Mother made a funny face, saying, "You aren't, right?" in a deep voice, copying Father's. The short vocal parody made everyone start to laugh even harder. After minutes of laughing, a knock came to the door, that silenced everybody.

"Anyone home?" a male's voice called. Mother looked at Father, and they both stood up to get the door, their faces showing no sign that just a second ago, we were laughing heartily.

Alice heard them open the door, just enough to speak with the young man. Well, Alice thought he was young. Judging from his deep, yet light, voice booming in through the house. Alice was about to rise from her seat, when her parents came rushing back.

"What's wrong?" Cinna asked, his voice touched with concern. "What happened?"

"Just stay here," Mother said. "Lock the doors and don't even try to follow us." Mother sent us the glare.

"Yes Mother," Cinna gave in, his rebellious attitude set aside for another time. "We'll stay here."

"Bye, my children," Father came over and hugged them both. "We'll come back."

**Hello, readers! I hope you like this story so far. Since Holidays are coming, I'll be updating much more often. So, tell me what you like, and so on. I won't be doing these AN much, but when I do, they will be mostly just some comments on the story or from time to time, review responces.**

**Well, see ya! And for those who are lost, Cinna and Alice is Katniss' and Peeta's children.**

**~Sketch**

**Oh, and I will have a vote for titles. I need to have a good one!**


	2. Chapter 2

It was quiet. Not deadly quiet, just lonely quietness. Alice didn't speak a word to her brother, who was deeply interested in the table. She looked around, playing a mental game. She thought of what was happening. She tried at make solutions to what was actually happening. It killed her so much, twice she got out of the chair and go outside. But Cinna always pulled her back gingerly. "Stay," he would whisper.

"Why?" Alice would intercept his feelings with haughtily saying the word. She didn't mean to be controlling, but to Cinna, he obviously thought she was. She would then take back her word and whisper a "sorry".

The silence reminded Alice when she was playing with the small stream behind their house. She was splashing the crystal clear water. Cinna, only about two years old, started to run gleefully down to the meadow. Mother and Father followed the two children as they chased each other toward the meadow. Cinna ran back and worth, weaving through the tall summer grass. Alice followed him, laughing with joy. Alice would stop every now and then to see what her parents were doing. Mother and Father were snuggled up, Mother sitting upon Father's lap. Every once in a while, a lingering kiss filled the air. Alice continued to play around with her brother. Though, the air was quiet and still, like after something terrible happened. She could sense it in the wind, the trees, the meadow. Every since then she longed for the same caressing feeling. The quiet place brought comfort. She would often take walks without Cinna knowing. She would always come up with and excuse like, "Just a second, I forgot something!" and she would run to the school. It's white peeling paint made it seem older than the Earth itself.

"They're back!" Cinna said. His voice brimmed with happiness. Blond hair unleashed from Alice's hair as she walke over to her Mother and Father, each step more cautious than the other. "What happened, Father?"

"We found somebody," Father replied, his voice edged with a tough of sympathy. "He was alone, shivering. We tried to get him to speak, and it sounded like it took all his strength. The only thing he said was, 'water', and then he passed out..."

"He's fine now, he's with the infirmary," Mother said. "He'll probably stay there for about two weeks."

"Oh," Cinna answered for the both of them. Alice nodded at her brother then turned to Mother and Father. One question burned in her mind. She couldn't form her mouth around it. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't _how _to say it.

"Is he... What... Appearance?" Alice stumbled. She looked at Father desperately hoped he would understand what she was trying to say.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart," Father said. "It looked like he had gray eyes, I wasn't sure, though. His tone was a creamy sort of color, a light tan. He had black hair, black as night. And a frizzled beard. So, I'm guessing he's about eighteen, maybe nineteen. "

"Hmm," Cinna said, nodding his head.

"Hmm what?" Alice exclaimed. She turned to him quickly."Why did you say 'hmm'?"

Cinna looked at her in surprise, his gray eyes wide. "I don't know, it just seems funny that he's outside looks are a mirror of those here. Yet, I've never seen him before."

Alice looked at her brother, then noticed she over-reacted. She blushed before rushing out the room. She could her Father and Cinna talking in small whispers.

"What was that about?" Father asked.

"I doubt it was anything, you know girls." Alice heard chuckling coming from the kitchen.

"Hey Alice." A new voice intruded in the room. Not the kitchen, but the sibling's room. Alice looked up to her gray eyes mother. Her hair was in a braid, long and silky. Mother sat down by the bed and patted Alice's knee, saying, "So, you want to tell me something? This morning..."

"No, Mother," Alice said. She sighed, never ceasing the eye connection with her mother. "I don't know what happened."

"Well." Mother looked up at the ceiling, like it was about to fall and cease the world from turning. "if you need to tell me anything, I'm right here. Always." She dropped her gaze from the ceiling, resting her eyes on her daughter. She kissed Alice softly on the cheeks. Then on the forehead. Alice smiled and dipped her head. Mother patted her knee once more and left. Her face appeared in the room again, "Hey, Peeta's going to make pasta tonight, your favorite."

Alice grinned and mouthed, _Thank you._ Mother left without another word. Alice, laying softly on her bed, thought about the boy. Who was he? She tried to remember the features of the boy compared to the features of the boy in the dream. But the dream was all a blur. There was no trace of the boy who kissed her. Alice dripped of to sleep, tired from all the excitement.

~:~

"Alice! Wake up! Pasta's ready!"

A familiar voice surprised Alice, and recovered her from her sleep. "Come on Alice, I'm hungry!"

Cinna glared down at her, grinning. Alice slipped out of bed, blinking the sleepiness out of her eyes. Cinna kept looking at her, smiling as if he were granted a million dollars. She felt the urge to ask him why he was being to quirky and happy, but when she stepped into the kitchen she knew why. The boy was there, sitting at the table. Alice glanced at Cinna, her eyes pleading an answer for the current situation. Music danced through the air, softly floating onto her ear. It was a peaceful music, like you would find at church. Slow and forgiving.

"Hello, Ms. Mallark." The boy stood up to greet Alice with a warm handshake. Alice smiled, but it never reached her eyes. She clasped his hand like it was about to break at any moment. Her eyes layed on his lips. _Is he really the boy from the dream? He surely _looked _like him..._ The boy dropped his hand, replacing Alice's hand with the crooked chair. "We've never met, I am Jasper Cling." _We have met, in dreams. _His moss-green eyes looked weary and haggard. His hands shook like a personal earthquake happening on his smooth hands. He had wispy hair on his chin and spread on his lower jaw, like he was trying to grow a beard. His lips were slightly apart, as if he was in a silent song. Dark curly hair was spread a top his head, full and shiny. His mocha-colored skin was perfection. But bruises and patched of Alice couldn't deny that he was, well, cute; good looking; maybe even the word _hot_ would apply. But the dazed effect he held in his eyes made him seem like he was going to fall over.

"Hello," Alice curtly said. She sat down quickly, not wanted to feel like she was spying at Jasper, catching every detail. But her eyes had other ideas.

The boy sat down, right beside Alice. Father sat on the other side of him. Then Mother. Then Cinna. A black bowl sat on the table, brown markings on the surface. Alice searched out a face made out of the accents. A scowling face was found by her.

"Well, it's good to eat," commented Jasper, who cracked a smile at Alice. She blushed but hid it from Father by fumbling with the buttons on her sweater. She watched under her lashes as Cinna reached for the bowl, carefully lifting it up.

"Who wants some pasta!" Cinna exclaimed jokingly. The family (included Jasper) chuckled quietly.

As soon as everyone had a serving of the pasta and a little bit of the salad, questions started rising in Alice. Cinna glanced at his sibling, and asked the question for her- Cinna and Alice always knew what the other was thinking. "Why aren't you at the infirmary? Mother said you would be staying there."

Jasper swallowed the mound of food currently in his mouth and answered, "They were trying to get ready for other patients. You know, from the explosion at Stone Center, and I offered to go and stay with someone else until there was a spot open. So-" He started shaking violently. Mother was about to get up from her seat, reaching out her hand to help him. She never did have the touch of a healer, but she still knew a few things. Jasper, still coughing, just waved her off. His hand cut short and slammed on the table. He was coughing up blood. It covered up his pasta left on the plate, his napkin, his lap. It stood up, shaking until his whole body was an avalanche. He bowled over, hitting the ground. His hands shook as he struggled to cover up his mouth. Alice stared at him, her face masked with fear. She covered her mouth, gasping. She had a desire need to breath. Father ran toward Jasper, along with Cinna, and took him to the bathroom. Alice was about to follow, but she was reminded by the fact that they were probably going to strip him and set him in the bath. Trying to ease the boy's coughing. She still felt she couldn't breath. When she tried pain nestled in her chest like a lodged barbed thorn. She showed none of this feeling to her mother. Mother came over to her, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"-he's going to stay with us," Alice finished Jasper's sentence. Mother nodded at her.

**Merry Christmas to all! And to all, a good reading!**

**Review how _your _Christmas was!**

**~ Sketch**


	3. Chapter 3

Thrashing sounds were heard from the bathroom.

"He's really staying here?" Alice whispered, not really meant to be heard by anybody.

"Yes," Mother replied.

"Alice! Come here!" A voice uncurled from the bathroom. _Father,_ Alice thought. She walked to the bathroom, and braced herself for the sight she was about to see.

She walked in. Blood partially covering the walls; traces of dark blood on the floor. She walked over to the bathtub, which carried a naked Jasper. Alice forced herself to not to glance at him, period.

"Yes Father?" she asked calmly, but she sure didn't feel calm. She was shaking lightly, resembling Jasper only a few minutes ago.

"Alice, I want you to run- _run –_ to the Infirmary, and ask for a doctor," Father commanded. Alice took no time to run out (she didn't stop and close the door) and run to the door to Vlintage. She ignored her mother's calls of questionable comments. She jumped down the stairs, once again not bothering to close the oak door, and started sprinting. The wind whistled in her ears like a freight train. She closed her eyes, the wind cutting her eyes with invisible scraps. The coldness of February nipped at her ears and nose in protest. _Go back! Go back inside!_ the wind seemed to say. Grass racked against her bare legs. Alice braced herself against the trees' branches as they reached towards her. The wind whistled her name. The only thought in Alice's mind was the fact that she was going to need to doctor to help the person she knew only in dreams. The thought of him dying with her kiss pocketed in his hands made her run faster. The trees grew thinner with each step. Everything wanted her to stop, to walk back home, to sleep. Her body seem to slow down in reply to the requests that could never be fulfilled.

"Help! Help!" Alice screamed. "Help!" She hoped with all her might that one of the doctors would hear her. "Jasper Cling! Hurt! Blood! Help!"

"Hello? Is someone out there?" A voice cut through the silence. Alice was going to sigh with relief, but she couldn't breath anymore. It was as if someone has knocked her down with unbelievable force. She couldn't breath or feel herself run anymore. She couldn't blink her eyes, or tear knowing that somebody might die tonight. She caught the glimpse of a man in front of her. "What's wrong, miss?" Alice knocked into the man, who caught her and shook her shoulders. "What's it wrong? Answer me!"

Alice could only mouth the word, " _Jasper._" She hoped the man would understand what she mouthed. If he did, she didn't know. But as he got on a horse, she hoped he knew. The man grew smaller and smaller. Black dots started to cloud Alice's vision like droplets of rain. At least, that's what Alice hoped it was. Right before she passed out, landing on the cold ground.

~:~

"Ma'am? Are you okay?"

Cold hands lifted Alice up from the ground. Wet dirt took up every inch of her face. She rubbed her face into her hands. She coughed, spitting out the mud. She remembered why she was here. She scrambled away from the man's arms. " Vlintage! Jasper Cling! He's coughing... blood... bathroom."

"Ma'am, it's all taken care of." The man stared at her intently. He had dark blonde hair with traces of red. Freckles were all over his face and bare arms. His green eyes never left her face. "Do you need a ride home?"

However much Alice wanted to say no, she found herself nodding.

The man, who later introduced himself as Fredrick, drove her home on the carriage. The horses, as white as clouds, galloped across the Meadow. She hugged herself tightly, letting no heat escape from her wiry figure. She breathed in the cold air. She shivered tremendously. She hated the feeling of being cold and helpless. Weak.

Alice sighed when she saw Vlintage in front of the carriage. She wakes air escape from her mouth, like little angels escaping from Alice's soul. They flitted higher and higher, until they disappeared from existence.

The carriage rocked as Fredrick jumped out and walked to the other side. He smiled and offered his hand to help her down. Alice ignored the hand and jumped down. She walked to her white house, feeling the doctor's stare at her back. Alice closed the door to her house tightly, and didn't look out the window.

****

**Sorry, this is a little short!  
><strong>**Please review!  
><strong>**I'm sorry for the last chapter, there was some errors, and I'm just really sorry. Those chapters were raw and I didn't both to revise them...  
><strong>**Well, until next chapter!**

**~Sketch**


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